Harpy Eagle 1902

Bernard Willem Wierink made this drawing of a Harpy Eagle with graphite and crayon, and what gets me about it is how much it's about looking. I mean, look at the underdrawing, that soft, almost fuzzy texture, then the darker lines laid over the top, it's like he's thinking through the form, trying to capture the weight and presence of this incredible bird. The surface is so alive, you can almost feel the texture of the feathers, the sharpness of the beak. And the way he's rendered the stump, it's not just a perch, it's another opportunity to play with line and tone. The light seems to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Wierink might remind you of someone like Charles Le Brun, another artist fascinated by the way animals embody different qualities, even emotions. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, always building on what came before, and always open to new ways of seeing.